


Fractures of the past

by PurpleSnowstorm215



Category: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera & Related Fandoms, Phantom of the Opera (2004), Phantom of the Opera - Lloyd Webber
Genre: Ghosts, Raoul can see ghosts and stuff, things are kinda sad I guess?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-21
Updated: 2015-04-25
Packaged: 2018-02-18 06:46:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2339006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleSnowstorm215/pseuds/PurpleSnowstorm215
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever since he was little, Raoul de Changy has always been able to see ghosts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure what this is and I'm sorry.  
> I have some sort of concept of what this will be but I don't know for definite.
> 
> Not beta'd so mistakes are my own.

Raoul huffs as he flops down onto his bed, tears threatening to fall that cling to his long eyelashes. The child rubs his face into the plush pillow on the bed as he grumbles in annoyance.  
Philippe and his sisters had been teasing him about his hair again! It wasn't Raoul's fault that he liked his hair long and it wasn't Raoul's fault that his hair was the colour it was. He had gotten the colour from his mother! It wasn't his fault that Philippe and his sister’s looked like their father and he didn't…

He sniffs before wiping his nose with his sleeve, not caring that he’s probably making a mess of his clothes and will be scolded for it later on.

He groans a little before pressing his face into the pillow, mumbling unhappily before he freezes as he feels a gentle touch brush through his hair. The boy stays still, a small spike of fear going through him.

The boy cautiously lifts his head to meet the gaze of a long brown haired woman who was sat next to the bed, smiling down at Raoul with a kind expression.  
His only response is to stare back at the strange woman in his room.  
For some reason, the woman looks transparent… It scares Raoul a little. She seems solid but clearly isn't.  
Raoul nods a little as he smiles shyly at the woman. She doesn't seem to want to hurt him and he feels strangely at ease in her presence. Her smile is comforting as if she knew how Raoul is feeling.  
Feeling his face flush with embarrassment, he whispers a small ‘Thank you’ to which the woman pats his head in reply to before he buries his head back into the pillow.  
He eventually dozes off to the feeling of fingers brushing through his hair gently.  
~~~  
Raoul groans softly as he woke up, rubbing his eyes as he looks around his room.  
The woman was gone.

The boy frowns before he sighs a little, the woman's disappearance actually making Raoul feel quite lonely.

He grumbles a little before swinging his legs over the side of the bed as he begins to ready himself for the day.

That night was Raoul's first experience with a ghost.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raoul's second meeting with a ghost.
> 
> This is a week later from the last chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the really, really, really, incredibly late posting.  
> I just need someone to motivate me to write haha

Raoul de Changy had always seemed like a strange child. From a young age he spoke to imaginary friends, always chose to play by himself instead of the other children on the grounds that he was already playing with someone.   
Of course people just chalked it off to his imagination.

Raoul’s second experience with a ghost was much different to the first experience he had.

He had been playing by himself in the garden of de Changy estate, his siblings too busy to play with him. Currently, he was sat under a large tree to protect himself from the sun’s harsh rays.

It was only when Raoul looks up when he sees the man, making the child jump in surprise.  
He swallows nervously before looking at the man closely, trying to decide whether he should try to get away from him or not.  
The man is leaning against the trunk of the tree, looking out into the distance. He is dressed smartly, dress pants, shirt with a waistcoat but no jacket. The man’s brown hair is slicked back and he looks pretty normal… Aside from the fact that the left half of his face looks like it has been melted away. It seems like chunks of his face are missing but Raoul can’t tell.  
Either way, it looks horrifying.

The man is also transparent like the woman from his room except the man looks incredibly stone faced and unkind. He doesn't seem to have noticed Raoul yet though.

Raoul swallows nervously before he speaks, his voice quiet and scared “G-Good afternoon monsieur…”

The man blinks a little, seeming as if he is brought out of his thoughts before looking down at Raoul “Hello young man.” He looks away again before he speaks; looking around as if he is taking in his surroundings for the first time “I suppose you could consider it a good afternoon.”

Raoul stays silent for a minute or so before speaking “… What happened to your face…?” He pauses when he realises what he has said, various lessons on manners flashing in his mind “I-if you don’t mind me asking monsieur! I… I didn't mean to be rude.”

The man shakes his head “It’s alright. You’re just curious. It’s understandable. I wouldn't blame you considering I look like this.” He chuckles softly before speaking “I had a boy your age once... He was the light of my life… Along with my lovely wife of course.” He lets out a sad sigh before speaking “I died that’s what happened… I believe it was in a fire. That’s why half of my face is melted away.” He looks towards the large house before speaking again “This used to be my estate… A long time ago… My whole family died in a fire. I believe it was someone trying to get revenge on me for something… Most likely a colleague from my business. I should never have trusted him but… It was a long time ago and I can’t quite remember.”

Raoul looks at the man with wide eyes, his head tilting to the side slightly in a curious manner “You… You died…? But I'm talking to you now. So you can’t be dead.” He frowns, brow furrowing in confusion “I don’t understand…”

The man smiles tiredly “There is much to be learnt about life and death but I'm afraid you’re too young to understand. You’ll understand when you’re older though... But tell me young man, how is it you’re talking to me? No-one else can see me.”

Raoul shrugs, his confusion from earlier gone “I don’t know… I've always been able to see people who aren't there… The other day, in my room, this lady was being kind to me because my brother and sisters were making fun of me.”

The man nods as if he’s thinking about Raoul’s words. He nods a little “I see… It seems you have quite a talent there young man. You should use it to help people who need it in the future.” He smiles encouragingly which makes Raoul smile back.  
He nods hard, making himself feel a little dizzy. Raoul opens his mouth to speak before he is interrupted by someone calling his name. It’s Philippe.

He looks towards the direction of the house before looking at the man who merely nods at him “Go on. Best to see what your brother wants.”  
Raoul nods before getting up. He bows his head politely before he speaks “It was nice to speak with you monsieur. Goodbye.” He smiles at the man before running to the house to see what Philippe wants.

When Raoul looks back to the tree, the man is no longer there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive criticism appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raoul finds a new purpose in life due to two helpful ghosts.

It’s been about a month since Raoul’s met his new friends and he frequently spends time with both of them although never together since it seemed neither ghost can move far from their positions in the grounds. The man, who they eventually worked out his name to be Henri, is always stuck in the garden by the tree Raoul first met him next to and the woman, whose name Raoul still doesn’t know as she doesn’t speak, seems to gravitate more towards his room and around the upper floor of the manor. Raoul is confused to why but he doesn’t really think there’s a way for either ghost to explain it to it. He did ask Henri about it but the man just shrugged and offered him an explanation of ‘That’s how things are.’  
Henri often tells Raoul about his past. About how things used to be before his family took over the grounds. It’s interesting to hear about but Raoul can’t help but feel a bit sad when Henri gets the far away look in his eyes as he reminisces about times long passed. Usually Raoul spends most of the day outside with Henri before he has to go back inside as it gets dark and he spends time with the female. Raoul’s pretty sure Henri just spends the entire night staring into the sky right next to the tree.

When Raoul has to go back inside, he has dinner with his family before going to play in his room until he has to go to bed. Usually the ghost comes and keeps an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t hurt himself or do anything dangerous. Raoul doesn’t know her name since she doesn’t speak but they both know that when Raoul speaks aloud he’s usually speaking to her even if she doesn’t answer back verbally. Raoul looks at her and she always gives an expression to reply to his stories about the day or ideas he’s come up with for his games.  
A few hours later Raoul’s mother comes by to get Raoul ready for bed. Most families would have a servant get their children ready for bed but Raoul’s mother takes pleasure in helping her children get ready. According to his father, it’s one of the many strange little quirks he loves about her and Raoul can see why.   
Soon Raoul’s in bed, eyes drooping as his mother tucks him in. She kisses his forehead which makes him mumble a weak goodnight as he drifts off before his mother’s even leaves the room. He misses the loving smile she gives him before shutting the door behind her.  
\----------  
It’s late into the night when Raoul wakes up from his nightmare. He wakes up screaming in terror as he bolts up, tears streaming down his face as he clutches the blanket in his hands. Instantly the ghost is sat on the edge of the bed next to him, trying to calm him down. Almost straight after the ghost is on his bed there is a figure walking through the door. It’s Henri and he looks utterly terrified as he looks around frantically before he spots Raoul on the bed with the other ghost. Henri strides over to the bed, a look of suspicion on his face as he looks at the other ghost before his eyes widen “Clarisse…?”   
It seems that Raoul was the only one to realise Henri had come in since the ghost next to him had no react to him walking over. As soon as her name is spoken her gaze snaps from Raoul to the source of her name, eyes widening as she sees Henri. She gets up instantly from the bed, rushing to hug the man and Raoul just watches as they embrace. His tears have stopped although he’s still sniffling a little, too engrossed in what’s happening with the two ghosts in front of him. 

He watches Henri cup her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb before they kiss. Raoul wrinkles his nose before he looks at the door, light from a candle coming into the room as his mother rushes in with a worried look on her face “Raoul?! Are you alright?” She puts the candle down on the bedside table before getting onto the bed with Raoul, pulling the boy into her arms as he clings to her. He revels in the sweet scent of his mother’s perfume before mumbling tiredly “I had a nightmare…” She nods a little in reply before speaking, her voice soft and soothing “It’s okay; it was just a dream okay?”

Raoul nods weakly as he begins to drift off already, his mother humming a lullaby into his ear.  
\--------  
The next morning Raoul wakes up, face pressed into the pillow and he certainly wasn’t drooling in his sleep. He stretches on the bed before getting up and getting dressed. He eats something light for breakfast since he wants to get out into the garden as fast as he can.  
As soon as he gets outside he runs as fast as he can towards Henri’s tree. As he gets closer Raoul sees Henri stood with the ghost from his room.   
When he reaches them Raoul is panting and out of breath, his face flushed from running. Henri and the ghost turn to look at him and Henri looks uncharacteristically happy “Raoul, this is my wife Clarisse…” Raoul nods before speaking “She’s the ghost in my room… I didn’t know she was your wife.” A small frown makes it way onto his face before speaking “How come you didn’t know she was here?”  
Henri shrugs slightly while Clarisse smiles softly at Raoul “I had no idea she was still here… I thought that she had passed on and I was the only one left here. It seems not though…” There’s another warm smile on his face as he kisses Clarisse on the cheek, making the woman laugh although she makes no sound.  
All three of them spend the day together in the garden until it’s almost time for Raoul has to go back inside. He notices Henri and Clarisse look at one another, solemn looks on their faces before they both look at Raoul and Henri takes lead in what Raoul knows will be a serious conversation “Raoul… Me and Clarisse… We'll going to be going soon. You realise we can’t stay here don’t you?”  
The boy nods, a sad look on his face. He had known that they would leave someday. He didn’t understand exactly how it worked but he knew they would go “Why… Why do you have to go though?”  
Henri shrugged a shoulder before speaking “Sometimes, that’s just the way things are my boy. I and Clarisse have found one another again and I can feel that we’re going to be leaving… It pains us to leave you but… It is just simply how things are.” They both look at him sadly before Henri speaks again “If it’s any consolation, the only reason we’re going now is because you’ve reunited us.”  
Raoul looks at Henri with wide eyes “Really…? That’s why you were both here? Because you weren’t with each other?”  
Henri nods before speaking “It appears so… It could be something else but I’m not entirely sure. However, I do know you have a talent my boy and it would do you good to help others who need it. More so than I and Clarisse needed.”  
The boy nods obediently “I can do that!” He understands the logic of Henri and Clarisse’s situation. He positive that his parents would be the same. They wouldn’t be able to… Pass on without one another. Raoul looks towards the house when his name is called loudly before he looks at the two ghosts stood in front of him. He looks at them sadly before rushing forward to embrace them.   
Henri chuckles as he ruffles Raoul hair fondly before Clarisse kneels down to kiss the boy on the cheek while smiling warmly at him. There’s tears threatening to fall from his eyes as he hugs Henri first then Clarisse but he’s happy for them. He lingers for a moment before his name is called again and he quickly turns to run back to the manor. He glances over his shoulder before waving at the two ghosts who wave back to him and then he’s concentrating on not falling over due to how fast he’s running. He forgets about the two ghosts leaving as he is distracted by his siblings pulling him into a strange game they invented together which ends up with a lot of laughter and running around the manor.  
\----------  
The next morning when Raoul goes out to the tree, neither ghost is there but Raoul isn’t so sad anymore. He’s happy they found one another again and he knows that in the future, Raoul can help other ghosts he comes across. He can help them pass on.

Although the nightmare was horrible, Raoul considers it a success as Henri and Clarisse are the first ghosts he’s helped to pass on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raoul’s first experience as ghost buster extraordinaire!  
> I stopped writing since I had no idea where this actual fic was going because I had written it on a whim. I’ve got more of an idea of what I’m writing and I’m going to try and update a bit more frequently than not at all.   
> If there are any mistakes feel free to point them out and if anyone wants to actually beta for me that’d be amazing.  
> I apologise if anyone feels the way this is written is sort of clunky. It's been a while since I've written anything so this was me getting back into it haha
> 
> If you have a prompt, request or any questions feel free to ask them at: http://purplesnowstorm215.tumblr.com/  
> Like always, feedback is greatly appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Raoul's about 7 in this chapter.  
> Also, the idea of child!Raoul sulking in a huge bed makes me laugh.
> 
> Constructive criticism appreciated!


End file.
